Star Tours, also known as Star Tours Spacelines, was an interstellar travel agency which gave tours to prominent planets and moons in the galaxy. The company already existed by the time of the Clone Wars, but was forced to file for bankruptcy in the year4 ABY, after a series of dramatic accidents.

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The Star Tours travel agency existed as far back as the Clone Wars,[3] a pan-galactic conflict that broke out in 22 BBY.[6] At the time, the company notably organized tours to Glee Anselm,[3] a waterplanet with tropical climate.[7] However, the starline greatly expanded its business at some point between 1 and 0 BBY,[8] opening a new intergalactic space terminal on a space station in the Earth system, which it shared with fellow member companies of the Galactic Tourist Bureau. The agency hoped to promote unrestricted travel through the galaxy despite the Empire's oppression. AlderaanianCaptainRaymus Antilles assisted in the launch of the expanded spaceline by assigning droidsC-3PO and R2-D2 to help launch their new spaceport.[9] On an early voyage, prior to the ship's departure from the terminal, Imperial agents discovered the presence of a Rebel spy on board and attempted to arrest the Rebel. The vessel took off and fought its way past Imperial ships surrounding the space station, crippling an Imperial I-class Star Destroyer in the process. After being chased through hyperspace, the StarSpeeder 1000 landed and delivered the spy to safety. The flight also possessed a non-smoking policy, which according to droid G2-9T, also extended to luggage. In addition, it also had a policy against smuggling droids in the luggage, although G2-9T often turned a blind eye. Animals were also barred from entering flights, requiring that any animals found in luggage be placed in quarantine. Passengers were required to wear flight glasses during trips.[1] In addition, passengers were sometimes required during this time to bring with them Imperial authorization forms to access certain destinations, such as Bothan Space, and were also forbidden from accepting packages from unidentified individuals.[10]

At the time of the Battle of Yavin, Star Tours' space cruiser Tzarina, was involved in a tragic accident that cost most of its passengers their lives. For unknown reasons the ship's droid captain decided to change course towards Yavin to show his passengers "something neat". Once there, the yacht collided with an unidentified TIE fighter variant that was tumbling out of control through space. The collision caused the Tzarina's hyperdrive to initiate and throw the ship into hyperspace. When it fell out of hyperspace half a galaxy away it crash landed on Dathomir in the Quelii sector. Only one passenger was known to survive the crash and find his way to the Dathomir Trade Outpost, where he told others his story.[11]

Immediately following the Battle of Endor, Star Tours sought to capitalize on the Moddell sector's sudden fame by promising "convenient daily departures to the exotic moon of Endor" along the decaying Sanctuary Pipeline.[4] During this time, C-3PO and R2-D2 again briefly worked for the agency, having been placed on temporary loan by the agency while their owners in the New Republic were fighting against the Tofs during the Nagai-Tof Invasion.[12] One pilot for this flight, RX-24, failed to actually make it to the Endor moon and instead sped quickly out of the system and into a battle between the New Republic and remnants of the Galactic Empire along with the third Death Star.[2]

Several months later, after a variety of accidents and mismanagement the company was driven out of business.[4]

Star Tours is a theme park attraction located at Tomorrowland in Disneyland, as well as at three other Disney theme parks, including the filmmaking-oriented Disney's Hollywood Studios at Walt Disney World.

Originally opened at Disneyland in 1987 with a single flight, the "Endor Express", Star Tours has since been re-imagined so that as many as 54 different experiences are available to passengers. Destinations now include Coruscant, Naboo, Tatooine, Hoth, Kashyyyk,Geonosis, and the first Death Star.

References to the Star Tours passenger carrier have appeared in various Expanded Universe sources, and a number of action figures based on the attraction's droids, particularly RX-24 ("Rex"), have been released.

The canonicity of the events depicted in the original Star Tours experience has been disputed for many reasons, the most obvious being the inclusion of the Death Star. Since R2-D2's presence onboard the Starspeeder 3000 precludes the events taking place during the Battle of Yavin or the Battle of Endor, the Death Star seen in the ride video has been considered by some to be the Death Star prototype, as seen in Jedi Search and Champions of the Force and its destruction to be a depiction of the prototype's destruction at The Maw. However, it does not match that prototype's skeletal construction and R2-D2 is accounted for during that event, as well. Also, the Star Tours Death Star is very close to Endor, far from the Maw's location. This may indicate it is a so far unrevealed Death Star, or that the ride's events are simply not canonical. Others have suggested that the Death Star is one of the modified habitation spheres seen under construction over Coruscant. Leland Chee has tentatively named it the Death Star III, which was later confirmed canon in the StarWars.comblogConvenient Daily Departures: The History of Star Tours. The same source also specifically placed the event in question during the events of the Nagai–Tof War to explain C-3PO and R2-D2's presence in the ride.

In the Tokyo Disneyland version of the ride, additional planets/astro locations were added in as visitable locales: Specifically, the desert world of Bar-Neth, the water world of Praya, and the Edge of the Galaxy.[14] These locations as well as the footage were in fact reused from the three endings for the defunct Epcot ride, Horizons, regarding the Mesa Verde, Sea Castle, and Space Colony Brava Centauri, respectively. The endings and scenarios from that ride dealt with the concepts of Arid-Zone Agriculture, Ocean colonization, and Space colonization, respectively.

The Star Tours travel agency has been compared to real life air travel agencies, including how they operate in loading passengers onto flights.